


The Scary House

by Tigerlily_Wildflower



Series: Childish Chaos [7]
Category: Life Is Strange
Genre: Adorable Shenanigans, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rachel is Alive, Gen, Haunted House - Freeform, Max and Chloe are smol scared beans, Rachel is the Mom Friend, Rated T for scary elements, The Girls get scared and Rachel gets SPOOKED!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27068170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigerlily_Wildflower/pseuds/Tigerlily_Wildflower
Summary: Rachel and the girls visit a kid-friendly haunted house for some wholesome Halloween fun.
Relationships: Amberpricefield - Relationship, Rachel Amber/Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price
Series: Childish Chaos [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687984
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	The Scary House

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (early) Halloween! I was originally gonna release this on the 31st but I couldn’t wait any longer. 
> 
> To enhance your reading experience, listen to this album as you read: https://soundcloud.com/jazzhopcafe/sets/wys-halloween-night?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=0

I turn off the stove and drain the pasta before getting out the ingredients I need to finish the girls’ lunch. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it would be a fun idea to make the girls some bat shaped mac & cheese. I poke my head into the other room to check on them. They’re still in the same spot I left them, sitting on the floor watching a “scary” movie. They decided on Coraline since neither of them had seen it before. I go back over to the sink and put the pasta back in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients. Once it’s finished, I divide it between three bowls and bring two of them out to the girls. I set the bowls on the coffee table then go back and grab the third bowl before sitting on the couch behind them. I’d never admit it to any of my friends, but I do enjoy partaking in the girls’ meals every now and then. Besides, there was enough for three servings. I chuckle to myself as they eat their lunch without looking away from the movie. I couldn’t blame them; they’d just reached the part where Coraline must play the Other Mother’s game. After we all finish eating, I take the dishes back to the kitchen to wash them. Their movie ends by the time I finish washing the dishes. They excitedly share their thoughts with each other as I walk back into the living room. They turn to face me when they hear the creak of the metal frame when I sit on the couch.

“Did you enjoy your movie?” I ask them.

“Yeah, it was really good!” Max says with a cheerful smile and Chloe nods in agreement.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it; I thought it would be a wonderful idea to have some Halloween-themed fun,” I say with a mischievous grin. “How would you girls like to visit a haunted house? I’ve done my research and found a kid-friendly one. It won’t be that scary, I promise.”

They exchange nervous glances before looking back at me. They both nod in agreement and I grin from ear to ear. “Go get your shoes on and head out to the car. I’ll be out in just a minute, okay?”

The girls scurry over to the door and manage to correctly put their shoes on all by themselves before racing each other outside. Once they’re out of earshot, I grab the small tote I had stashed underneath the couch. Earlier, Juliet had come over to drop off the capes she’d made for the girls. I couldn’t wait to show them since they love playing pretend. The capes are necessary for the haunted house because the “bouncer” lets the actors know what color the capes are, so the scenes won’t be as scary when kids pass through them. I lock the apartment door behind me and head out to the car, where I find the girls playing patty-cake as they wait. I unlock the car and we all pile in. I set the tote in the passenger seat before starting the car. I turn the radio off and plug in my phone to play some kid-friendly Halloween music. I notice the girls quietly chatting with each other but think nothing of it. They always plot against me, coming up with pranks and such, but they never follow through with their plans. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a hand creeping towards the tote handle hanging off the seat and gently swat it away.

“Dammit, I thought she wouldn’t see!” Chloe murmurs.

“Language,” I warn and Chloe huffs in reply as she proceeds to pout. Max whispers something to her but I couldn’t quite catch it. Again, I notice a hand creeping towards the tote, and I swat it away with a little more force then flip the handle up onto the seat.

“Patience, girls,” I chide. “We’ll be there soon enough.”

“But I wanna know what’s in there _now!”_ Max whined indignantly and Chloe nodded in agreement. I sighed and glared at them in the rearview mirror.

“This is your last warning. I will not hesitate to turn around and head home if you two continue to disobey and disrespect me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am!” They quickly reply in unison. They sit quietly the rest of the way, with only the music to break the intense silence. 

* * *

When we finally arrive at our destination, I park the car and grab the tote before exiting the vehicle. The girls scramble out of the car in their excitement and stare at the tote as I reach my hand in. Once I pull out the capes, their faces light up with sheer joy and I hand them their respective colors. Max’s pink cape bore a large, white deer silhouette on the back and Chloe’s blue cape bore black lines to form a butterfly. I chuckle and shake my head. Juliet will _always_ incorporate symbolism in her designs if she can. I help the girls fasten their capes around their necks and Max strikes a pose.

“Super Max to the rescue!” She declares with a triumphant look on her face.

“Now you really _are_ Super Max,” Chloe laughs before turning back to me. “Didn’t you get one, Rach?”

“No, I don’t thi-” I stop mid-sentence as I check the tote again. There was still one last cape inside. The color is a golden orange and I immediately know it’s for me. “Never mind, she made one for me as well.” I pull out the neatly folded cape and set the tote back in the car. I hold up the cape to see the back of it and in bold white letters it says “Super Mom.” The girls look over my shoulder and they both laugh. Their laughter is contagious, and I start laughing along with them. I fasten the cape around my neck and brandish it proudly. Nobody will think anything of it, since it _is_ Halloween season and people do joke costumes all the time.

“Alright, now that we all have our capes, it’s time for the spooks to begin,” I say before leading them through the parking lot towards the entrance of the house. Sure enough, there’s a guy standing by the doorway with a walkie-talkie in hand. When we get closer, he raises an eyebrow and I brace myself. I had a feeling I’d have to explain why the girls are wearing capes.

“Turn around please, I’d like to verify the color of your capes,” he states, and I nod at the girls. He doesn’t question why they’re wearing them and I sigh in relief. They both turn and proudly show off their capes before facing him again. “We got a pink and blue. I repeat, the colors are pink and blue,” he says into the walkie-talkie then motions toward the girls. They cautiously approach and he hands them two red glowsticks. “The glowstick acts as a panic button. If you get too scared, put it around your neck,” he explains, and they nod in acknowledgement. He steps aside and gestures to the door. “Step inside, and let the nightmare commence.”

We walk into the dimly lit hospital ward, with Chloe on my left and Max on my right. They’re glued to my side as we make our way through the asylum-themed attraction. There’s the occasional distant yell or scream interlaced in the ambience, but it’s nothing special. We walk past rooms with patients crying, pacing, struggling against restraints, etc. But one of the rooms has a closed door and, as we pass by it, something hits the door with a loud clang. This startles all three of us and Chloe bangs on the door in an attempt to silence the patient inside. We hear a yelp from inside and she nods with a triumphant look on her face. I smile and we continue our journey through the ward. A little while later, we pass by another closed door and Max yelps in surprise which startles Chloe, causing her to jump.

“Something touched my shoulder,” she whimpers quietly. I look over my shoulder and notice an arm stretching out the small slit-like window of the door, trying to reach the handle of it. The hand nearly reaches the handle before retracting back into the cell. It snakes out again and grabs the door handle. It doesn’t turn it, almost as if it’s waiting for a signal.

“It’s okay, we’re almost at the end,” I soothe her. “You’ve been a real trooper up to this point, but it’s okay if you want to use your glowstick.”

“No! I a brave trooper!” She replies sternly.

“Alright then. Chloe, do you want to use your glowstick?”

She shakes her head and gives me a thumbs up, signifying she’s still okay as well. “Alright then, let us continue forth.”

As soon as I finish my statement, I hear the creak of a door opening followed by the quiet padding of bare feet. The girls continue onward, oblivious to what just occurred behind them. I follow behind them, occasionally looking over my shoulder. An actress walks a few paces behind us, her head bowed as she twirls a trick knife in her hand. It makes a soft clicking sound as she plays with it, and unease stirs in my gut. We reach the exit and Max pushes one of the themed doors open. She holds it as Chloe, and I exit before letting it close behind us. I take one last look behind me and I see the woman standing there through the window in the door. She looks up and her disheveled brown hair parts to reveal a heterochromic pair of eyes, one bright green and the other bright blue. She holds the small knife to her neck and makes a cutting motion across her throat with a deranged smile before turning around and walking back to her post. I shudder as a chill runs down my spine before I turn back towards the girls.

A doctor rounds the corner and both girls hide behind me. He stares at us for a moment before clapping his hands together. I could see the exit just behind him, as sunlight streamed through the windows.

“How wonderful! You three made it out alive. I see the two little ones didn’t use their panic buttons. That’s quite the impressive feat, considering Ginger had escaped and was following you for a bit. Or perhaps you didn’t notice? No matter, you’ve reached the end of your visit at our humble asylum. I will collect your panic buttons and deliver them back to reception for you,” he says as the girls quickly hand him their glowsticks before hiding behind me again. He holds open the door for us as we exit the haunted house. The girls murmur a thank you as they scurry past him. I thank him as well and tell him to fix the handle on Ginger’s cell. He nods with a slight chuckle and lets the door shut behind him.

“Well, that was fun,” Chloe states with a wide grin plastered on her face.

“Yeah, it was,” Max sheepishly agrees with a slight smile.

“Can we do it again? Please?” Chloe asks me with her wide, puppy eyes.

“Maybe another day,” I lie. After what I’d seen, not even the puppy look could convince me to go through there again.

“Mkay,” she says as she takes Max’s hand and the two of them skip back toward the parking lot. I take off my cape and I follow behind them. My heart swells with pride as I watch the two brave girls conquer their fears, one step at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism and/or feedback is always appreciated! :3
> 
> Also, feel free to leave suggestions for future stories. I’d love to hear your ideas!


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